Thursday night at Subiaco saw West Coast return to the winning list, and doing so in style, when the Eagles were untroubled in recording a 54-point victory over Melbourne.A one-sided opening term saw the Eagles waste no time in establishing a stranglehold over the match. Five unanswered goals saw the Eagles go 31 points clear, and with the flow of play it could have been even more. And although the Demons attempted to fight back in the second term, they were only able to make up one goal on the deficit.An early goal to the Demons in the third term cut the margin back to 20 points, raising hopes they may be able to get back into the contest. But that was as close as they could go, as the Demons would not score again for the quarter and the Eagles would power away, stretching the lead to 40 points at three quarter time and extending the lead further with five goals in the final quarter.Sam Butler in the backline was a tower of strength for the Eagles, with 12 marks to diffuse Demon attacking raids. Dean Cox dominated the ruck all evening, while Matt Priddis was a ball magnet with 33 possessions. The result sees the Demons move back into the top eight, while the Demons will be relying on other results to retain their position in the eight.West Coast 5.3 7.8 10.12 15.16 (106)Melbourne 0.2 3.6 4.8 6.16 (52)Goals : West Coast – J Darling 3, Q Lynch 3, A Embley 3, J Kennedy 2, M Nicoski 2, M LeCras, M Rosa. Melbourne – N Jones, C Sylvia, A Davey, B Moloney, J Watts, L Dunn.Best : West Coast – S Butler, D Cox, B Ebert, M Rosa, M Priddis, J Darling. Melbourne – J Trengove, C Sylvia, J Grimes, C Garland, C Bartram, R Bail.Injuries : West Coast – M Priddis (dislocated finger). Melbourne – Nil.Substitutions : West Coast - M LeCras replaced by A Gaff at three quarter time. Melbourne - J Gysberts replaced by L Dunn in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Donlon, Rosebury, Stewart.Crowd - 36,298 at Patersons Stadium.

It was a rare Friday night clash in Sydney, the first in the home and away season since 2003. But despite the unusual timeslot, the distraction of a Royal wedding on TV and some appalling weather, an encouraging crowd of 28,081 was on hand as the Swans hosted Carlton. But it would be the Blues who would take the victory, defeating the Swans by 16 points.In slippery conditions, both sides handled the ball well in the early stages, and eight goals were scored in the opening term. The Swans held a 13-point advantage at quarter time, but were unable to maintain the advantage in the second term and the Swans’ lead was reduced to two points at half time.The Swans looked in control early in the third term, and led by 17 points midway through the quarter. But the game quickly turned as Eddie Betts sprung into action. Betts had been unable to register a possession in the first half, but a devastating five minute burst turned the game on its head. Two quick goals put the margin back to within a kick, and an interchange infringement as Betts kicked his second gave the Carlton number 19 another shot from the edge of the square, which gave the Blues the lead for the first time.

Having taken the lead in the third term, the Blues went on with the job in the last. The Blues were held up by the brilliance of Shane Mumford in the ruck, who dominated to record an amazing 43 hit-outs for the evening. But there were too few other Swans making a meaningful contribution. And with Betts finishing with four goals, and which Chris Judd attracting 33 possessions, the Blues were on their way to their first win in Sydney since Ron Barassi’s first game as Swans’ coach, way back in 1993.Carlton 3.1 5.6 8.9 12.15 (87)Sydney 5.2 5.8 8.8 10.11 (71)Goals : Carlton – E Betts 4, J Garlett 2, A Walker 2, J Waite, S White, S O'hAilpin, A Joseph. Sydney – B McGlynn 4, J McVeigh 2, B Mumford 2, J Moore, K Jack.Best : Carlton – M Murphy, C Judd, E Curnow, H Scotland, D Ellard, A Carrazzo. Sydney – S Mumford, B McGlynn, J Kennedy, J McVeigh, T Kennelly, J Bolton.Injuries : Carlton - C Yarran (hamstring) replaced in selected side by D Armfield, S Hampson replaced in selected side by S O'hAilpin. Sydney - H Grundy replaced in selected side by M Pyke.Substitutions : Carlton - A Joseph replaced in D Armfield in third quarter. Sydney - J White replaced by A Everitt in third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Stevic, Chamberlin, Jeffery.Crowd - 28,081 at SCG.

North Melbourne finally got their season under way when the Kangaroos were 60 points too good for Port Adelaide at Docklands on Saturday.Port Adelaide went into the game on a low, having suffered the shock of last week’s loss to Gold Coast; and it soon became apparent that they were out of their depth against a committed North Melbourne side. The Kangaroos led by 13 points at the first change and extended the margin to 24 at half time; a margin that could have been significantly greater were it not for some appalling inaccuracy in front of goals by the wasteful Kangaroo forwards.But the Kangaroos were dominating around the ground, and continued to create scoring opportunities in the third quarter. A return of 6.8 for the quarter was another term of missed opportunities, but the Power could only manage two goals from their limited chances; and with a 41-point lead at the last change the game was safe for the Kangaroos. The final quarter was a countdown to victory for the Kangaroos, and with another five goals for the quarter the final margin blew out to a 10-goal result.The Kangaroos suffered a blow when Lachie Hansen crashed into the boundary fence early in the last quarter, having to be stretchered from the field and playing no further part in the game. But it was a rare bad moment in what was a dominant display by the Kangaroos; and after a tough draw and a slow start to the season for the Kangaroos, it will be with a feeling of relief that they collect their first points for the season.North Melbourne 4.5 7.12 13.20 18.25 (133)Port Adelaide 2.4 4.6 8.9 10.13 (73)Goals : North Melbourne – B Harvey 3, S Wright 3, B Speight 2, L Hansen 2, M Firrito, L Anthony, L Thomas, A Swallow, K Harper, T Goldstein, D Petrie, S Atley. Port Adelaide – D Motlop 4, B Ebert 2, J Westhoff, D Brogan, R Gray, M BroadbentBest : North Melbourne – T Goldstein, B Rawlings, L Anthony, B Harvey, S Wright, D Pratt. Port Adelaide – H Hartett, J Westhoff, K Cornes, R Gray, D Brogan, P Stewart.Injuries : North Melbourne – J Ziebell (calf), L Hansen (back). Port Adelaide – D Stewart replaced in selected side by M Banner .Substitutions : North Melbourne – J Ziebell (calf) replaced by B Cunnington in the third quarter. Port Adelaide – J Surjan replaced by M Banner in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires – Leppard, Schmitt, Findlay.Crowd – 16,014 at Etihad Stadium.

Back to back wins were recorded by Richmond, when the Tigers controlled proceedings on Saturday night at the MCG to bring up a 26-point win over Brisbane.The Lions had the better of the early exchanges, and led by 18 points with a few minutes to go in the first quarter; but the Tigers fought back during time-on to cut the margin back to six points at quarter time. And early in the second quarter, the Tigers took the lead and the crowd began to find their voice.The Lions were hanging on, but found scoring difficult during the second term; unable to crack a major goal for the quarter. There were only a couple of goals in it shortly before half time, but the Tigers continued the trend of finishing each quarter strongly and extended their lead to 24 point at the long break.But the Lions weren’t done yet, and fought back in the third quarter. After struggling to find avenues to goal during the first half, Luke Power presented himself as a target. Three goals to Luke Power for the quarter spearheaded a team haul of seven goals for the quarter, turning the four goal deficit into a lead late in the third term. But again the Tigers finished the quarter better, the marathon 36-minute quarter finishing with the Tigers leading by eight points at three quarter time.Having regained the lead, and with the vocal crowd on side, the Tigers weren’t letting this one go, and with four goals to two in the final quarter the margin blew out to 26 points. It was a confidence-boosting result for the Tigers, but for Brisbane it was a disaster; the Lions left languishing on the bottom of the ladder, the only team yet to record a win in 2011.Richmond 4.3 9.6 14.8 18.16 (124)Brisbane 5.3 5.7 12.12 14.14 (98)Goals : Richmond – J Riewoldt 5, R Nahas 3, J King 3, B Nason 2, T Vickery 2, M White 2, N Foley. Brisbane – L Power 4, C Beams 2, D Rich 2, T Banfield, M Leuenberger, J Redden, T Rockliff, J Polkinghorne, M Clark.Best : Richmond – R Nahas, N Foley, D Martin, B Houli, B Deledio, S Grigg. Brisbane – T Rockliff, J Redden, S Black, J Adcock, J Polkinghorne, B McCauley.Injuries : Richmond – S Tuck (ribs). Brisbane – Nil.Substitutions : Richmond - S Tuck (ribs) substituted for B Nason at the 15-minute mark of the second quarter. Brisbane - M Maguire substituted for J Polec at the 20-minute mark of the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Bowen, Meredith, Wenn.Crowd - 37,438 at MCG.

Adelaide dealt another chapter in St Kilda’s season of woe when the Crows recorded a 19-point win over the Saints at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.Racing out of the blocks, the Crows had four early goals on the board, holding the Saints goal-less to lead by 21 points at quarter time. The second quarter would be frustrating for both teams, as despite the good conditions neither side was able to finish their scoring chances with goals. The Crows would score 2.6 for the quarter, while St Kilda were even more wasteful, finding themselves on 1.9 at half time and 30 points behind Adelaide.But the Crows weren’t feeling confident yet. They’d surrendered big leads against Port Adelaide and Carlton, and had to withstand another fightback as the Saints swung into action in the third term. The Saints stormed back into the game in the third term, with five goals to two; and with the first goal in the final quarter the Adelaide lead was back to three points.But the Crows wouldn’t be run down again this time, steadying with a five goal quarter. Chris Knights stood up and was counted with three goals in the final term, putting the Crows back on the winning list for the first time since the opening round of the season. Scott Thompson was a ball magnet, picking up the ball 29 times for the Crows; while Kurt Tippett’s nine marks and four goals were also pivotal to the Crows’ success. For the Saints, Nick Dal Santo picked up 29 possessions, in a best on ground performance in a losing side.Adelaide 4.3 6.9 8.10 13.12 (90)St Kilda 0.6 1.9 6.12 9.17 (71)Goals : Adelaide – K Tippett 4, C Knights 3, R Douglas 2, S McKernan, M Wright, T Walker, P Dangerfield. St Kilda – S Milne 3, J Cripps 2, J Steven, C Jones, N Dal Santo, A Schneider.Best : Adelaide – K Tippett, S Thompson, R Douglas, L Thompson, S Jacobs, R Tambling. St Kilda – N Dal Santo, D Armitage, C Jones, A Schneider, B Goddard, S Baker.Injuries : Adelaide – P Davis (shoulder). St Kilda - F Ray (illness) replaced in selected side by J Cripps, N Riewoldt (concussion).Substitutions : Adelaide - P Davis (shoulder) replaced by B Symes in the second quarter. St Kilda - W Johnson replaced by J Cripps at half time, N Riewoldt (concussion).Reports – Nil. Umpires - McBurney, Kennedy, Mollison.Crowd - 33,854 at AAMI Stadium.

After last week’s heroics of breaking through for their first win in the AFL, Gold Coast were brought down to earth and given a harsh reality check when the Suns were humiliated by 139 points by a rampant Essendon at Docklands on Sunday afternoon.The first quarter was a record romp, the biggest quarter-time lead in AFL history. The Bombers faced only the most minimal of token resistance as they scored 15 unanswered goals in the first quarter. Nine Bombers were on the goal-scorers list before quarter time, with Stuart Crameri already having three goals on the board within the first 20 minutes of the match. Clearing the ball out of the centre with monotonous regularity, the Bombers controlled proceedings throughout the quarter; and a 93-point lead at quarter time saw numerous other footballing records under threat.But, against all expectations, Gold Coast rallied after quarter time and won the second quarter. Five goals to three for the quarter at least restored some pride for Gold Coast, although they were still 79 points in arrears at the long break. But at least the threat of going into the records books for the biggest losing margin had largely subsided.The Bombers stepped up after half time to push the margin over three figures, although Gold Coast at least managed to stop the bleeding of goals from reaching the extent it did in the first term. And they managed to hold Essendon under 200, a scoreline that with a score of 94 on the board at quarter time looked likely. But there was no disputing that this was a disastrous defeat for the Gold Coast side, and after the emotion of their breakthrough win last week it was a harsh reminder to the young Suns of the need to produce a strong performance every week, and another blow to their already exceptionally poor percentage.Kyle Riemers was at his unstoppable best with eight goals in a best on ground performance. Angus Monfries and Stuart Crameri contributed four goals apiece, with 13 Bombers having a slice of the goalkicking action.Essendon 15.4 18.4 25.8 31.11 (197)Gold Coast 0.1 5.3 7.5 8.10 (58)Goals : Essendon – K Reimers 8, A Monfries 4, S Crameri 4, P Ryder 3, T Bellchambers 2, S Lonergan 2, D Zaharakis 2, D Hille, H Hocking, B Howlett, L Jetta, B Stanton, J Watson. Gold Coast – S Iles 2, B Matera 2, T McKenzie, M Rischitelli, M Shaw, Z Smith.Best : Essendon – K Riemers, B Howlett, B Stanton, J Watson, A Monfries, C Hooker. Gold Coast – J Brennan, M Rischitelli, T McKenzie, G Ablett, D Swallow, D Harris.Injuries : Essendon - D Fletcher (knee) replaced in selected side by A Welsh, A Welsh (calf) replaced in selected side by J Melksham, H Hocking (back). Gold Coast – Nil.Substitutions : Essendon - H Hocking (back) replaced by J Melksham in the third quarter. Gold Coast - S Tape replaced by L Patrick in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Ritchie, Ryan, Nicholls.Crowd - 33,710 at Etihad Stadium.

The Western Bulldogs had threatened to upset defending champions Collingwood in the twilight match at the MCG, but a devastating final quarter burst by the Magpies put paid to the Bulldogs’ fancies and ensured a 48-point Collingwood win.Collingwood suffered an early blow with midfielder Ben Johnson going down with a leg injury, forcing the Magpies into using their substitute in the first term. And the Bulldogs made the better fist of their first quarter scoring opportunities to lead by 10 points at quarter time. But the Collingwood defence tightened the screws in the second quarter, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the term while the forwards kicked 3.7 for the quarter to lead by 15 points at the long break.The margin stretched to 28 points at one stage during the third term, the Magpies seemingly headed for an easy win. But the Bulldogs then fought back hard, kicking the last three goals for the quarter to cut the margin to eight points at the last change, and early in the final quarter scores were level.The Bulldogs had done well to fight their way back into the contest. But having got back onto level terms with the Magpies, they could go no further. Instead, the momentum took another swing and it was Collingwood who assumed control in the final stages of the match. From a level game at the 10 minute mark of the final term, the Magpies kicked the last eight goals of the game, a burst which quickly deflated the Bulldogs and turned what had looked set to be a close contest into a final result that was far more one-sided than previously thought likely.Heath Shaw was the top possession-getter, collecting the ball on 31 occasions. Steele Sidebottom, with 11 marks and 28 touches, was also prominent around the ground. For the Bulldogs, Ryan Griffen, Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross picked up 26 touches apiece. Collingwood maintain their unbeaten start to their title defence, but the Bulldogs remain locked out of the top 8.Collingwood 1.2 4.9 7.12 15.15 (105)Western Bulldogs 3.0 3.0 7.4 8.9 (57)Goals : Collingwood – L Brown 4, S Sidebottom 3, A Krakouer 2, J Blair, C Dawes, T Cloke, L Ball, B Dick, A Didak, Bulldogs – J Sherman 3, A Cooney, J Grant, L Jones, L Gilbee, L Picken.Best : Collingwood – S Sidebottom, H Shaw, A Krakouer, S Wellingham, D Thomas, C Wood. Bulldogs – R Griffen, D Cross, W Minson, M Boyd, R Murphy, L Picken.Injuries : Collingwood - C Tarrant (general soreness) replaced in selected side by S Buckley, B Johnson (leg). Bulldogs – Nil.Substitutions : Collingwood - B Johnson (leg) replaced by S Buckley in the first quarter. Bulldogs - J Roughead replaced by B Moles in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Vozzo, Ryan, Armstrong.Crowd - 53,776 at MCG.